EastEnders stars Emma Barton and Perry Fenwick, who play Honey and Billy Mitchell on the BBC soap, have teased what lies ahead for the couple following their recent dark storylines. Speaking exclusively to The Mirror at the 2026 Inside Soap Awards, the cast members discussed their hopes for the characters after the pair's latest wedding ended in tragedy.
Dark storylines and a renewed connection
After Honey and Billy's most recent wedding ended in tragedy last year, their hopes for the future were dashed by troubled character Bea Pollard. Bea's obsession with Honey almost tore the couple apart, with the pair in danger and Billy facing false accusations.
Emma said of the dark storylines: "I hope there's happier times. The Bea storyline was so dramatic, and it turned Honey and Billy's relationship upside down. After Bea was exposed, it was lovely to see that connection between Honey and Billy come back. Them realising their connection and love for each other is what was important."
Perry added: "It was nearly lost, and what was lovely was the public and all the writers on the show were wanting to show that even with a couple like them, through no fault of their own, their relationship was at risk."
Fan support and iconic couple hopes
Perry confessed viewers would come up to him to warn him about Bea. He said: "They'd say, 'Would she just [go]? She's horrible,' because they knew what she was up to. But it was mad."
Both cast members hope to see a united Honey and Billy long-term. Emma said: "I think it's so lovely, we're one family on the Square that is very much loyal to each other. I want to see more of that tight knit. I think the audience really love Honey and Billy, it's been 21 years!"
Perry added: "It is crazy. Emma said to me right at the start, 'I'd love it if we became Jack and Vera, those iconic couples'." Emma said: "It's lovely, and it gives me a lovely feeling when you think, we have done that."
Memories from two decades on the Square
Perry debuted in 1998, with Emma joining as Honey in 2005. Emma shared: "We've had four weddings, I've loved them all but I quite liked the first one. Honey fainted so they didn't actually get married, but Phil and Grant did a party in the Square for us. Then there was Honey going into labour. We have been so fortunate. We've had guests coming in too to play characters like Honey's dad. We had our matriarch Barbara Windsor, the Mitchell family too."
Perry shared: "We love doing comedy, and a lot of the comedy is just between them two. It's important to have a couple like that, because there's so much in soaps with affairs, this and that. Yes it can happen in real life, but Honey and Billy as a couple have had to go through so much."
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
